End of Term Message

This term has been another busy one for staff and students alike. We have celebrated many exciting learning opportunities since we started the year back in September, mostly inside the classroom but many beyond the classroom and out in our community. Way back in September we held our Year 6 Open Evening which was attended by well over 100 families. Some of the comments from the prospective parents included “this seems a lovely school, the students and staff are so friendly”, “great atmosphere in this school, I definitely want my child to attend” and “the school was warm and welcoming, the teachers care about the children”. We pride ourselves on the care and nurture we give to all our students and it was great that this came across at our Open Evening. Year 7 have settled well and had a very positive first term as secondary school students. In October the whole year group went to Nell Bank where they took part in team building and confidence building activities. The feedback we had from the staff at Nell Bank about our students’ attitude and behaviour was fantastic. Later that month we had the Year 7 parents evening where parents met their child’s form tutor and had the opportunity to discuss any issues that may have arisen in their first few weeks. Some of our Year 7 students have now joined older students in the school by becoming members of our Restorative Ambassador team. Congratulations to all those students who were successful in this process. Many of our students from all year groups have already taken part in a REACH day this year (Resilience, Excellence, Aspiration, Commitment and Honesty day). These days give students the opportunity to learn about the skills and attributions in life needed for success and happiness. The days have included careers based education, risky behaviour choices education, healthy lifestyle information and study skills ideas to name a few. Our STEM (Science, Technology, English and Maths) group have been very busy meeting each week for discussions and activities as well as going out on trips and visits. One highlight was the work they did at Oasis Temple, one of our Primary Schools in Manchester, where they worked with younger children to introduce them to the wonders of science. Later this week a group are attending the National Lego League Competition at Bradford University. We wish them all the best. Last week we presented our fantastic school production of BDME2 - a sequel to BDME performed last year. It was another amazing evening of singing, acting, dancing and technical ability on show. A huge well done to all the students and staff who were involved in this. Earlier in the term students also took part in the Shakespeare School’s Festival in York where they performed to a wide audience – what a great experience! The past couple of weeks have been tough for our Year 11 and 13 students who have been taking part in their mock exams. Students and staff have put a lot of work into ensuring this programme ran smoothly. Students in Year 11 will receive their results during their REACH day on Thursday 16th January 2020, this is also the date of our Year 11 Parents Evening. If your child is in Year 11 please ensure you attend this evening. As the term draws to a close we bid farewell and best wishes to Mrs Barton and Mr Alam who are moving on to new schools in the New Year. Thank you for everything you have done here at Oasis Academy Lister Park. Good luck in your future careers. I hope you enjoy reading our end of term newsletter and all the exciting activities our students have had the

opportunity to get involved in. I wish you a very relaxing break and we look forward to welcoming the staff

and students back on Monday 6th January 2020.

Mrs Siân Dover, Associate Principal

A massive congratulations to the 18 students who attended after school writing sessions with

Miss Longthorne and Mrs Waugh, along with Sai Murray (writer, poet and graphic designer).

The students have been working since February to develop their confidence, creative writing

skills and to edit and finalise their work.

All students who attended have had their work published in a beautiful anthology titled “I

Made a Mistake With My Mouth”. Not

only has amazing work been produced

but also friendships have been formed.

The students had a lot of fun working

together and are now part of an

exclusive club of officially published

authors and poets!

Year 7 and Year 8 have been working very hard in their Accelerated Reader lessons during the first term.

Year 8 have read an impressive 2,948,172 words so far, but Year 7 have beaten them and have read 6,558,393 words!

Biya Baleem has the most words read in Year 8 and in Year 7 there are two word millionaires: Musa Ahmed and Jovany Djedje. Well done to all students for their hard work in their Accelerated Reader lessons.

Introduction of Microsoft Teams in Business Studies

Since September, Business Studies students have been using

Microsoft Teams to do their coursework. Students can now do their

coursework at home and access all the resources for their lessons

online. There is a phone app that notifies students when coursework has been issued and marked, as

well as receive notifications when homework is due in!

All students have seen the benefits of using Microsoft Teams and it is helping to improve attainment

in Business Studies, not to mention it is helping to save the environment as students don’t need to

print their work.

There will be plenty of work available over the Christmas period for students to do!

Shakespeare Schools Festival 2019

On 19th November a group of students performed ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to a packed

audience at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York.

Three schools were taking part and we were on first. Our students didn’t disappoint, even

though for many of them this was their first experience of performing on stage! At the end of

the show they received high praise from the adjudicator who

commented on their ‘magical’ portrayal of A Midsummer Night’s

Dream.

The actors were fully supported by a team of sixth form students

who gave up their time to help run rehearsals, create costumes

and provide stage makeup and glitter...lots of glitter!

I was extremely proud of the whole cast and back stage crew and

we are all looking forward to the next production.

Miss Emery - Performing Arts

OALP’s Got Talent 2020

Our annual talent show OALP’s Got Talent will take place on Thursday 23rd January 2020 - auditions will begin after the Christmas break. If you would like any more information, please speak to the Performing Arts department.

BDME2

This year’s home grown production BDME2 took to the stage for two nights this December.

The cast featured stars new and old from across the academy year groups. It was fantastic to see the Year 8 band taking part in the show, as well as solo songs from Joanna, Wiktoria, Taslima, Hana and Aleks. Atyab’s solo was equally memorable, although he may have had a little help from Hugh Jackman!

The story of fame and friendship loyalties unfolded before our audience as lead role Alex had to decide whether to pursue a solo career or stick with his band. Of course, it all ended happily as we saw the whole gang reunited for the finale.

Packed with drama, music and comedy the show was a huge success and massive congratulations go out to the entire cast and crew, with a special thank you to staff who helped out on the night.

This term has been a very busy one in the MFL

department. We celebrated the success of the trip to

Paris in July and arrangements are in place for the third

annual visit next year. Our students always have a great

time and the opportunity to use their language skills for

a real purpose is a fantastic motivation to continue with

their studies.

This is a fantastic experience for students of all ages, so if you have any queries about our

2020 trip, please see Mrs Bahfir-Cooke.

The GCSE Urdu students attended a conference at the University of Manchester, which was organised by

Mr Musaib. This gave them an insight into the importance of languages outside the classroom, as well as

improving their GCSE skills. They also enjoyed a visit to a local restaurant as a reward for all their hard

work this term.

On 27th November, 22 pupils from our academy met with pupils from Bradford Grammar School to challenge social and personal perceptions. All students involved were given a chance to study works of art whilst meeting new people and making new friends, laying foundations for further collaborations during the school year. Both OALP and BGS pupils felt it was a great chance to discover different cultures and identities.

Years 7 and 8 have been working hard on their climate change and natural hazards topics. Many students are wowing us with their ability to recall facts and develop their statements, star geographers in the making!

Year 9 have had a super start to their GCSE and are already well on their way to success. Their hard work and determination is much appreciated, keep it up!

Year 10 enjoyed a trip to Salford Quays to complete their GCSE fieldwork. We had a good walk around the regenerated area including seeing the BBC building and a trip to the Cadburys shop.

Year 11 have been revising hard for their mocks and we wish them all success on their mock results day on 16th January.

During the week leading up to Remembrance Day, the history department delivered assemblies on the

significance of wearing the poppy and the contribution of soldiers from the Commonwealth in both

World Wars.

Pupils were asked to write poems about Remembrance and it was very hard to judge a winner from all

the entries. Consolation prizes went to Year 7’s Callum Osbourne, Tybah Noor and Jovany Djedje. There

were two runners up, Year 8 pupils Jannaat Mazhar and Huzaifah Wadee. The winner was Zain Iqbal in

Year 10 with the below poem. Our winner and all runners up received gift vouchers.

The Remembrance poems are now available to view online in the news section of our website.

Remembrance Day, Remembrance Day When we will remember

The soldiers who paved the way So that we can live our lives today

They died for our protection

They did it in perfection

Them Germans learnt their lesson A lot of people lost their lives

Strong men who could not be revived

With no fear in their heart Given everything they had It was their time to depart

Goodbye soldiers, thank you for everything Now a two minute silence when we hear that bell ring

Our Art students in Year 8 have been looking at Machinery as part of their SOW. They are learning about how tools have been used throughout history, within engineering and linked to films such as Transformers, Terminator, iRobot and Wall-E.

Students are focusing on creative ways to refer to the Industrial Revolution (1760– 1840) and the area in which we live, such as Bradford and Manchester.

Year 7

The Year 7 boys football team have participated In a 7 a side tournament vs Hanson Academy, which has

given them great confidence when it comes to participating in the Bradford Schools League in January.

The Year 7s fielded two seven a side teams, unfortunately both teams fell short to an outstanding Hanson

team who boasted academy standard players in there team. Regardless of the score lines both Year 7

teams had lots of positives to take away from the games. A special mention to Jovany Djedje and Damian

Yassen, who showed great attitudes throughout. After further training sessions the Year 7 boys are fully

prepared for their league to start.

Year 10

The Year 10 boys football team have fulfilled their first two fixtures in the Bradford Schools League, with

more fixtures being arranged. Their first fixture was against a strong Tong team. OALP went into the

break at 1-1, after a strong performance. The first half goal coming from Ibrahim Dost. Tong eventually

came out on top late on in the second half, winning the game 4-1. The Year 10 boys then played their

second fixture against Dixons Kings Academy and put in a really strong performance. They won the game

2-1 in the end, with goals coming from Haris Rashid and Fahem Ali. Also a special mention to Saad

Qureshi, Mohammed Burhaan, Zain Iqbal and Sarfraz Hussain for their stand-out performances on the

night. Most of the team continue to attend the Year 9/10 extra-curricular football club after school on a

Thursday night, which is open to every boy in those year groups.

Girls Football

This is the first year at OALP where girls football has really started to take off. There has been a mixture of

girls from Years 7 to 11 who have attended the weekly sessions. We are hoping that in the New Year we

are able to arrange various fixtures with local schools which will aid the development of our students.

These fixtures will be 5 a side so we can gradually build up the students’ confidence to eventually play a

full professional match. Enya Cooke has shown key leadership skills helping to coach the girls and teach

them new skills. Enya currently plays for Bradford City girls. Twins Hannah and Habibah Khalid are two

students who have a keen interest in all extra curricular activities. And finally, Anmol Hussain is a really

strong footballer who matches the ability of some of the boys.

Extra Curricular

OALP currently has a broad range of sporting activities available for all students after school. These sports

range from football, trampolining, cricket, boxing, netball and badminton. This year we have seen a

brilliant rise in numbers for all extra curricular clubs allowing for students to express themselves outside

of the classroom and demonstrate the high level of sporting ability they currently possess. The

opportunities created at extra curricular allow students to develop skills further and showcase talents in

team based opportunities against other schools.

It has been an exciting few weeks at Oasis Academy Lister Park, as we are growing our Community Hub.

During the October half term holiday, we held a roller-derby session which was thoroughly enjoyed by

everyone who attended. Due to popular demand, we will be holding more sessions next year for both

young people and their parents. So, be sure to sign up early to save your space at our next sessions!

Coming up in 2020

In January 2020 we will be launching OHANA; an amazing opportunity for families to come together and

get stuck in to fun arts and crafts activities and games together. During OHANA, there will also be the

opportunity to get involved in workshops around keeping your family safe, healthy and happy with

different topics being explored each week. OHANA sessions are free and include refreshments for all the

family (e.g. drinks and snacks).

As with all our Community Hub events, OHANA will be held inside of the academy, however it is not an

academy activity and is available to everyone in the community. This includes aunts, uncles, cousins,

grandparents and the families of children who do not attend the academy. As a Community Hub, we are

here for you and everyone around you.

Join us on Sunday 12th January 2020 from 11am for our launch event here at the academy where we

will be serving a special brunch. At 1pm, there will be a workshop entitled ‘Outsmarted’ where we will

explore, as a group, the impact of smartphones on our lives as individuals, our children and our family.

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information on our Community Hub or to register your interest in future

events, please visit www.oasisacademylisterpark.org/community/community-hub

or contact our Hub Leader on the academy phone number, or by email at

lyn.muzulu@oasislisterpark.org

A café for Eastern-European families was hosted on Friday 13th December at Oasis Academy Lister Park. The purpose was to celebrate the incoming winter holidays and to consolidate the relationships we have with our valued Eastern-European families.

Around fifty parents and students came to this celebration, where they learned about the accomplishments of some of our EAL students. Also, many members of our leadership team and staff supported them with their presence and acts of kindness.

Our Young Interpreters presented their collective poem called "Identity", a very powerful piece of creative writing in which they talked about their background, present and ambitions for the future.

The event was accompanied by live music played by talented students from our academy.

We received valuable positive feedback for this activity that brought the cheerful Christmas spirit in our school. The event was coordinated by Mrs Taylor, our EAL Coordinator and Miss Gawrysiak, EAL pastoral support.

Oasis Academy Lister Park had a hugely successful week raising money for Children in Need and Martin House. The atmosphere around the academy was truly electric; pupils worked together along with their form tutors and got involved in different activities to ensure the week was a success. We’re proud to say that as an academy we raised over £1,300!

Miss Shaheen wanted to say a huge well done to 12RS in particular who raised over £200 selling pizzas and homemade samosas, coupled with their mouth-watering chutney. 12RS’ hard work and dedication, along with their team spirit, made them come together and collectively they came out on top as charity champions! Many other activities took place, including a chocolate fountain, raffle draws and ‘guess how many sweets in a jar’.

As an academy, we are very thankful to our pupils, parents and carers for supporting the school in raising money for such wonderful causes.

Are you or a friend worried and need someone to talk to?

Do you need someone to guide and support you through a difficult time?

If so please drop in and see one of the Safeguarding Officers. We are happy to help anytime.

Our office is based on the ground floor.

If you need to disclose anything and would like to do it anonymously to keep someone else safe,

then please write down the information and post it under our door in a sealed envelope that you

can collect from main reception.

If you would rather write down your own personal information, that’s fine also. We will then come

and see you.

A problem shared is a problem halved.

Follow us on social media! Search @OasisListerPark on Facebook and Twitter

Or keep up to date with everything going on at OALP at www.oasisacademylisterpark.org